La Paz is commonly regarded as the world’s highest national capital city, standing at about 3,650 metres above sea level.
La Paz is Bolivia’s administrative capital and seat of government, although Sucre is the country’s constitutional capital and judicial capital. The city lies in a deep canyon of the Altiplano, near the snow-covered peak of Illimani.
The altitude varies considerably across the metropolitan area. El Alto, the neighbouring city on the plateau above La Paz, is even higher, while lower districts descend into the canyon. This variation is why different sources may give slightly different elevations.
Quito, Ecuador, and Thimphu, Bhutan, are also among the world’s highest capital cities, but La Paz is the standard answer in general geography references. Visitors commonly need time to acclimatise because the thinner air contains less oxygen than at sea level.